Circuit nightclub permanently closing

By Georgia Garvey @gcgarvey

NOV. 20 UPDATE: Though Circuit partner Mike Macharello has moved the club’s weekly parties to other venues such as Evergreen (809 W. Evergreen Ave. ) and House (1675 N. Elston Ave.) since the closing, he told RedEye that he still has hope for Circuit in its Halsted Street location. “I have every intention to negotiate with the landlord to try and come to amicable terms that would be beneficial to all parties involved,” he wrote in an email. According to landlord Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, Macharello is not the leaseholder on the property, though, and would be unable to renegotiate leases. In the meantime, rumors have surfaced that Hollywood-based The Abbey may be interested in the space, though according to Widran Quesada, spokesman for The Abbey, decisions on a Chicago location have not yet been made.

In a statement posted to the new web site for Circuit nightclub and Boi magazine, which Macharello also runs, the owners announced that the temporary closure had solidified into a long-term parting of the ways for Macharello and co-owner Patrick Harms.

The statement says the two "have decided to close the club and go their separate ways for the time being."

Circuit, 3641 N. Halsted St., has been a fixture in Boystown for much of the 17 years it has been open. The club first closed its doors Nov. 1.

Previously, Macharello told RedEye that long-term financial woes led to the closure, but the landlord, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, disagreed. Friedman said at the time that the club was forced to close after Macharello removed the business licenses from the property.

"He triggered the closure of Circuit by taking the liquor license off the wall," Friedman said at the time, noting that a nightclub cannot operate without a liquor license.

Macharello said he was in the habit of taking his licenses home at night.

In the statement on Macharello's site, he is quoted as saying the business split between Harms and him was "amicable" and that Harms, who is the leaseholder on the site, is open to the idea of opening another club in the Circuit location.

The future of Boi magazine remains unclear after a creditor appears to have seized the home page of the web site. Macharello previously said he may have accidentally signed away ownership of the magazine to the creditor, but the newest statement says the ownership of the magazine is not in dispute.

According to the statement:

"BOI is under a separate corporation and Macharello plans to continue publishing BOI Magazine."

The statement quotes Macharello as saying: "We have been in the process of heading in a new and exciting direction with the magazine for 2013 and we will announce those changes shortly,"

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